Looking cool on the green

The fashion industry has been giving sport a drastic makeover for the last few seasons. We've seen every piece of sports equipment transformed into an accessory too beautiful to use.

With skis, saddles and surfboards out of their systems, designers are turning their attention to highly practical and stylish sportswear. Stella McCartney has teamed up with Adidas, Alexander McQueen is making his mark on Puma gear, and designer milliner Philip Treacy is working with Umbro; it seems sporting fashion is here to stay.

The latest sport to be given a fresh new look is golf. It's never been considered cool - a pastime that conjures up middle-aged men in dreary sweaters and plaid trousers.

Recently, however, the sport has been given an enormous boost by women golfers such as Michelle Wie. Women's tournaments are becoming more newsworthy, hence the headlines announcing that the world number one, Annika Sörenstam, will take part in the Middle East's first women's tournament - the Dubai Ladies Masters - this October. These new role models, coupled with celebrity fans such as Claudia Schiffer and Catherine Zeta-Jones, are introducing younger women to the game and radically changing the sport's image.

Golf clubs, once an exclusively male bastion, are becoming more female-friendly. Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire - one of the country's most prestigious courses - is appealing to women new to the game with a ladies' golf academy and a programme to help new players learn the basics in five-week courses (01753 717184).

And where women go, fashion follows. Supermodel Jodie Kidd, a long-term fan of the sport, has recently signed up for a golfwear collaboration with Hi-Tec. Frustrated by the lack of stylish kit available, she agreed to act as design consultant on the JK Line, which will launch next year.

In keeping with the new golf set's demands, this country's most glamorous golfing destination, the Earl of March's Goodwood Estate, in West Sussex - launched with women players in mind - has recently been refitted with a sleek, super-chic clubhouse and its own Ralph Lauren boutique - a world away from the stuffy, masculine clubhouses of yesteryear.

"Talking to younger, female players, I learnt that what they really want is just to be able to play golf and in a far more egalitarian environment than is usually associated with the game," says Lord March.

"Golf fashion is big business. More and more women are taking part in corporate golf days, which were a male preserve.

We're seeing twenty- and thirty-something women taking up the game just because they love it. The type of people we are attracting as members are extremely well-travelled and style-conscious, with very high standards and expectations. They know the clothes that any self-respecting stylish golfer should be wearing and they want them for themselves."

Melanie Shaw, a 29-year-old graphic designer who was introduced to the sport by her husband three years ago, is typical of the new breed.

"It's definitely become more and more slick - almost sexy. You walk around golf clubs and it's obvious some women must spend a fortune, and not just on sports brands. You get the impression that everyone is looking at what everyone else is wearing and that they're making an effort to look a bit trendy or in-the-know."

Big-name designers such as Tommy Hilfiger and Liz Claiborne aren't the only ones responding to the demand for more feminine, trend-oriented golfwear.

Niche label Millie Fox - launched last year by Amanda Gallagher and Luci Rush - makes tailored shorts, fitted T-shirts and jackets, as well as a more traditional golf garment - cashmere Argyle sweaters - in a feminine palette of white, soft blue, taupe and dusty pink. It's already a favourite with young female players.

Puma's range (available from
www.trendygolf.com
) includes neat mini-skirts, stretch twill dresses and graphic print knitwear. A small range of polo shirts in ClimaCool cotton and short, stretch skirts is also available from Adidas.

Heritage brands are also turning the traditional image of golf on its head. Knitwear specialist Lyle and Scott Vintage has brought out a range of slim-fitting retro and Argyle knits in shades ranging from sorbet lemon to bright fuchsia. It's official: golfing is fusty no longer.